The battle for the Sun Belt

Opportunity and necessity alike are pushing Democrats to focus more intently on gaining ground across the Sun Belt in next week’s election, from Florida and Georgia in the Southeast to Nevada and Arizona in the Southwest.

The opportunity comes from changing demographics: with their young, diverse populations and in most cases, growing ranks of white-collar, information-age workers clustered into busting metropolitan areas, the Sun Belt states increasingly embody the modern Democratic electoral coalition.

The necessity is driven by the prospects of losses for Democrats not only next week, but in years ahead in states across the nation’s interior. CONT.

Ronald Brownstein, CNN